Madagascar 1895 5 francs
This specimen was lot 21439 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Las Vegas, August 2020), where it sold for $9,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "Stunning African Island Pattern Silver Crown. MADAGASCAR. Silver 5 Francs Pattern, 1895. Ranavalona Manjaka III. NGC PROOF-62. By Reginald Huth (London). A RARE and exceptionally elegant issue which displays the veiled bust of the queen on the obverse and a crowned rose on the reverse. Far more attractive than the assigned grade often implies, this beauty possesses moderate golden-gray tone in the centers, with undeniably eye-catching orange and green color that accompanies the outer edges. Visible signs of handling are kept to an absolute minimum, which again compliments the overall appearance. Considering the paltry mintage, an extremely important issue for the collector of world (or strictly African) crowns!" The native rulers of Madagascar did not issue any coinage prior to conquest by the French. There is no justification for considering this private issue to be a coin, but its handsome design have made it popular among collectors. It was probably made in the 1930's or 1950's.
Recorded mintage: 25.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: KMX-M3; Dav-517; Lec-37.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Unusual World Coins, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The August 2020 ANA Auction: World Coins, featuring the Duke of Lansing Collection, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.
Link to: